The Massachusetts Clean Energy Technology Center (“MassCEC”) seeks applications to its Commonwealth Hydro Program (the “Program”) to facilitate greater energy production and reduced environmental impacts from hydropower facilities that are eligible for the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (“MA RPS”).
Donor Name: Massachusetts Clean Energy Technology Center (MassCEC)
State: Massachusetts
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 05/09/2024
Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
The Program provides funding for construction projects, new technology deployment, relicensing, and feasibility studies for eligible hydropower generation facilities. Applicants may request funding in the following activity areas:

Upgrade of existing hydropower facilities, including but not limited to:

turbine replacement or refurbishment;
installation or upgrade of automated controls;
replacement of wooden flashboards with rubber skirt/inflatable crest gate systems; and
enhanced fish or eel passage (in conjunction with measures to increase generation).

Existing hydropower facilities that are engaged or will soon be engaged in the FERC relicensing process and are considering means to increase efficiency, increase capacity, and reduce environmental impacts, including but not limited to:

Installation of minimum flow turbine on bypass reach;
Installation of turbines that reduce fish passage injury and mortality;
Closer-spaced and/or self-cleaning trash racks; and
Upgrades that increase levels of dissolved oxygen downstream of facility.

Development of new hydropower facilities that are eligible for FERC conduit exemptions or FERC determinations that facilities are Qualifying Conduit Hydropower Facilities.
Deployment of advanced hydropower technologies, including but not limited to technologies that enable:

Fish-friendly hydropower;
In-stream hydrokinetic power; and
Hydropower operational flexibility.

Feasibility studies for facilities described in (1-3) above.

Funding Information
Maximum possible grant amounts will be capped at the lesser of Three Hundred Thousand Dollars ($300,000) or fifty percent (50%) of actual costs.
Eligibility Criteria
Each Applicant must demonstrate compliance with the following minimum criteria:
Eligible Applicant

An Eligible Applicant must be a commercial, industrial, institutional, non-profit or public entity. The Applicant must demonstrate long-term site control over the project location and the rights to the water used to power the system. If the Applicant does not own the dam or conduit associated with the project, a letter of support from the dam or conduit owner is required. Note that once an Applicant has been awarded a grant and executed a grant agreement withMassCEC, that entity is referred to as the Grantee.

FERC Status
Subject facilities must: 

Have a FERC license or exemption and be in substantial compliance with its conditions (the need to amend a license or exemption to accommodate the proposed project will not disqualify the facility);
Have a FERC order indicating the facility is non-jurisdictional to FERC (the proposed project must not jeopardize this status, as determined by MassCEC in the sole exercise of its discretion);
Have a FERC determination that the facility is a Qualifying Conduit Hydropower Facility; OR
Be seeking a license or exemption under one of the following conditions:

on a canal system where environmental conditions are managed by the canal system operator under an existing FERC license; OR
likely be eligible for a conduit exemption (the determination that a facility is likely eligible for a conduit exemption shall be at MassCEC’s sole discretion).

MA RPS Status

Facilities must be qualified for the MA RPS, or demonstrate a strong likelihood of gaining qualification.

Facility Size, Type and Location 

Useful Life -Applicants proposing to rehabilitate or upgrade existing facilities must affirm that the project will have a useful life of at least twenty (20) years and/or that plans and financing are in place to make additional repairs to achieve this useful life.
Location- Facilities that are located within the service territory of an electric distribution company that pays into the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust are eligible.

Eligible Dams 

Dams associated with proposed projects must be intact (i.e., must not have been breached). Projects requiring new dams are ineligible.

Minimum Technical Requirements 

Hydroelectric turbines and generators may be either new or refurbished. However, all equipment should be accompanied by warranties and service support options, which may be subject to MassCEC approval.

Related Parties 

The Applicant must procure services from contractors using commercially responsible procurement mechanisms, and to the greatest extent practicable, using competitive procurement procedures.

For more information, visit MassCEC.